Christmas lights upset neighbours

A Burlington home popular for its elaborate outdoor Christmas decorations is at the centre of a debate whether the city should have a bylaw that would restrict residents’ exterior holiday lighting displays.

Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison is scheduled to bring forward a staff direction on the issue at Monday’s Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting in response to concerns from residents about Doug Musson’s home at 3360 Spruce Ave.

Musson has put up an elaborate holiday display for more than 30 years.

Dennison’s staff direction states the director of planning and building include in the new lighting bylaw review a report of other municipalities’ holiday lighting bylaws and report back to committee and council with a recommendation.

“Most everyone thinks the lights are beautiful, but there are some people who live close by who find them problematic,” Dennison told the Post. “Brantford has something in their bylaw dealing with holiday lighting and so it is simply a case of asking staff as part of their lighting review to also canvass other municipalities to see why they have or haven’t done something with respect to holiday lighting so we can deal with the concerns of the neighbours.”

Musson said his annual display is lit from 5-11 p.m. from Dec. 1-Jan. 1. He said weather dictates when he is able to remove the display, which he said is not lit after Jan. 1.

The house attracts hundreds of families from Burlington and beyond each holiday season, bringing joy to young and old visitors, he said.

“I talk to people whose parents used to bring them and now they bring their kids,” he told the Post. “People love it. There’s all kinds of e-mails we get from people and letters dropped in the mailbox saying how much they appreciate the work we put into it and how much their kids love to see it. We’ve been told that kids won’t go to bed until they’ve walked down to see the lights.”

The four letters included in the report on Monday’s agenda identify a number of issues created by Musson’s holiday light display, such as increased vehicle and pedestrian traffic, illegal parking, trespassing, infringement on the enjoyment of private property and real estate devaluation.

Marie Reid writes in her letter to the city that as a taxpayer, she deserves peace and quiet in her neighbourhood.

“It is even difficult to get out of my driveway because the traffic is so heavy,” Reid writes. “And, many of these visitors totally disregard proper driving methods and/or cross the street haphazardly with children. The next day, I can expect to find garbage all along my property.”

R. Di Valentino’s letter states the display’s popularity is drawing an increasing number of people from not only Burlington, but also other cities, creating problems.

“This display impacts the neighbourhood, as it affects individual safety, protection of property and environmental concerns,” Di Valentino writes. “It has become a public nuisance.”

Musson said disputes about his holiday lights date back 20 years with one neighbour.

He said another neighbour who wrote a letter to the city used to help him put the holiday lights up until recently.

Dennison said visiting Musson’s Christmas house has been a tradition in his family for a number of years.

He said he has not taken a position on the issue at this point, adding he is open to the information staff brings back.

“It isn’t an easy situation to deal with,” Dennison said.

Musson said he is planning on delegating at Monday night’s meeting. He is appealing to families in the community to e-mail Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison at Jack.Dennison@burlington.ca to express what the annual Christmas lights display means to them.

“I would like to get feedback from people in the neighbourhood who have little children,” Musson said.

The report is available by visiting the city’s website here and viewing item six.